June round-up - Veg

Early June saw the first crop of the year - Chinese cabbages. They were freebie seeds from an early seed order. Very tasty in stir fries, but not much else...

 Potatoes in the bulk-bag are doing very well. Due to the heavy rain they have since collapsed, so have had to stake-and-string them to give them some extra support. Have since started coming into flower too.

 My plan was to keep some brassicas in pots until room became free in the raised bed. Unfortunately the cauliflowers bolted, but the calabrese and sprouts seem to be more patient. Bottom right are the 500 plant pots I picked up off eBay for a fiver. Should keep me going for a few years.

 The outdoor tomatoes haven't shown any sign of blight yet, despite all the heavy rain, though it's a little early for that problem yet. hopefully July and august will be drier and warmer. Oddly enough the cucumbers in the greenhouse have done very poorly, but the chappy in the pot on the right is doing very well.

 The climber in pots are supposed to be forming a 'wall garden'. Cobra beans are rather slow, but Passiflora is racing away.

 The Tumbling toms are supposed to do the opposite and trail downwards. Once the first sets of tomatoes swell they should start drooping and gravity will do the rest.

 Peas are well in flower and are loving the heavy rain. Swelling up well. I sowed another load of carrots to infill the row in the foreground, but germination is still very poor. Not sure why. It's all fresh seed. Maybe they are just taking their time. Have found lots of little slugs and have been picking them off of an evening.

 The Maris Piper potatoes are also doing well now. Just coming into flower and difficult to earth up any further now. Won't bother any more now the threat of frost is well over.

 In the greenhouse I've got short rows of beetroot, dwarf french beans, celery, peppers, a chilli and some shallots.

 In the other bed my beafsteak tomato trial is doing well. On the left there is Super Marmande, started from seed in January. In the middle is Big Boy, bought as a seedling in March, and finally a Belriccio grafted tomato rescued from death's door, a.k.a B&Q. First trusses are about to set, so time to get feeding them. In the foreground more beetroot, Pak Choi (which soon bolted - kept in pots for too long), marigolds and lettuce.

 Sad to say, but I've heard several references on the radion and tv to preparing for autumn! In past years I've not been prepared for the mid-summer gap, so this year I'm making sure I've got plenty of veg seedlings in reserve - here swede, more beans, more celery, more lettuce and a few flowers.

Next, fruit...